As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The transmission of power and data to an information handling system is important especially with respect to portable devices such as laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) that are designed to operate on both battery power and power supplied by a wall outlet. As portable devices have become more advanced and able to perform more functions, the portable devices require more power to operate. Because batteries only last for a finite time before requiring a new charge, many portable devices may also be able to plug into a wall outlet and run on AC power. But since portable devices primarily operate on battery power (DC power), an AC adapter is required when powering a portable device from a wall outlet to convert the AC power to DC power. Generally, a portable device includes an electrical cable or power cord where one end of the electrical cable plugs into the AC adapter and the other end of the electrical cable has a plug that plugs into a jack on the portable device where the jack and plug together are a power connector for the transmission of power.
One limitation with current power connectors is that the plug must be orientated in a specific way in order for the plug to mate with the jack. For example, the plug may have an asymmetrical shape and only mate with the jack when the plug is oriented in a specific manner and will not mate with the jack when the plug is not oriented in that manner. This cause problems for a user when the user is attempting to insert the plug into the jack when the user does not have a clear line of sight to the jack or when the user cannot easily reach the jack. The user must try to guess as to the correct orientation of the plug and rotate the plug until the plug is in the correct orientation as the jack, which can be a bothersome task if the user cannot see the jack or has to strain to reach the jack.
Another limitation with current power connectors is the inability to safely transmit high levels of power to the information handling system. As processor speeds and memory requirements continue to increase, portable devices require more power to efficiently function and therefore have higher power requirements. In order to transmit higher power levels, current power connectors require increasing the wire diameter of the power cord to dissipate the heat generated by the higher power levels as well as increasing the overmold on the plug which acts as a heatsink to prevent the melting of the power cord and the power connector. This results in thicker, bulkier, more expensive, and less portable power connectors and power cords which increases the cost and creates a portability problem where a smaller size allows for optimal portability.
Another limitation with current power connectors is the inability to effectively transmit a data signal in addition to power. In addition to power from the wall outlet and AC adapter, portable devices may also be need to receive data information from the AC adapter regarding the operation and type of the AC adapter. The power connector may also need to receive data information from other attached components to optimize the functionality of the portable device.